5 Factors to Consider Before Choosing Your Monument Sign

8/1/2018

At last, you’re ready to make a monumental leap of faith, all for the betterment of your signage strategy. Purchasing a monument sign can be exciting, especially for secluded businesses and retail stores. Often, monument signs act as a beacon for the entrance of your facility or office. You can expect better brand awareness, an influx of customers, and happier employees.

However, installing a monument sign can be such a weighty (no pun intended) decision, that decision makers frequently get bogged down in the fine details. While we’re all for meticulous construction and a collaborative design process, certain factors must be prioritized over others. Let’s discuss the five principal issues to consider before choosing your monument sign.

1. Placement

Location can make or break your monument sign. You may have eye-catching dimensional lettering or a beautifully carved stone base, but if no one can spot it from the street, you might as well flush your budget down the drain.

So, make sure to check visibility from at least one hundred feet away. A mock sign can be a great way to test your monument sign’s visibility from the road.

Don’t discount the importance of the sign’s angle! Remember, during certain parts of the day, objects will cast a shadow in relation to the sun. If you do most of your business in the morning, make sure customers can see more than just a shady monolith.

2. Municipal Permits

Now, you can’t start building massive signs across your business park willy-nilly. In most cases, you’ll be required to produce architectural blueprints and city permits. If you’re working with a signage company like Signs By Tomorrow Clearwater, navigating the terrain of legal jargon and paperwork will be much easier.

Cities will have sign code parameters, which vary based on the density of the neighborhood. On top of that, certain county-wide limitations exist as well. Common restrictions include height limitations, overall sign area maximums, and outright bans on LED message centers.

Make sure to comb through these limitations beforehand, so you can factor them into your design process from the project’s inception.

3. Design

Your main ethos as a monument designer (or co-designer, if you’re working with Signs By Tomorrow) should be simplicity. For many newcomers, the temptation to overload your sign with graphics is tough to ward off.

But some of the most iconic monument signs, such as the one in Grand Canyon National Park, adhere to a few basic elements. In this case, the creators chose a clear typeface, ashlar masonry, and a subdued badge with colored accents. The design reflects the aesthetic of the park – subdued browns, forest greens, and stonework – while capturing the attention of motorists.

4. Materials

Decades ago, you would’ve been stuck with brick and mortar construction. We’re not knocking brick, but there are countless alternatives that’ll allow you to match your monument sign to your company’s personality. Want to get an idea of which materials are most popular? Here are a few examples:

5. Illumination

Zoning restrictions sometimes prohibit illumination for a host of different reasons. But if your district permits lighting, don’t shy away from illuminated and backlit signage.

You’ll have a choice between channel letters, lightboxes, or LED message boards. Selection is a matter of preference, of course. But keep in mind that your messaging will be interchangeable using channel letters or digital signage. If you have a constantly rotating product lineup, both would be an ideal solution for your business.

For more professional tips and tricks involving monument signs, you can rely on the experts at Signs By Tomorrow®.

“What sign will work best for my storefront?” you ask. Find out with an expert site assessment courtesy of Signs By Tomorrow®. We have a variety of Outdoor Solutions for all applications and budgets. And if you’re looking for an eye-catching addition to your monument signs, we offer LED Displays. We invite you to learn more about what Signs By Tomorrow can do for you. To get started, contact us today.